Chương 28: 1.28 Know Thyself

As far as Ning knew, the acquisition of a supernatural power was entirely random. It didn't depend on talent, cultivation realm, physique, or bloodline, only on sheer luck. Of course, supernatural powers were incredibly rare to begin with. Less than twenty percent of cultivators awakened one, and the chances of obtaining something on the level of Eyes of Heaven were even rarer. It was perfectly normal for such a power not to appear even once in a thousand years.

In other words, supernatural powers were essentially gacha, and abilities like Eyes of Heaven were the UR-tier jackpots. Probably a balancing mechanism put in place by nature. After all, if too many people possessed such absurd powers at once, the world would be one step away from exploding. Among those supernatural powers, Know Thyself ranked neither high nor low. It was a middling talent, useful, but far from dazzling.

The main reason it was considered mediocre was simple: after achieving the Divine Intention, one's body held no secrets. At that level, a cultivator could observe and understand themselves with ease, which made Know Thyself somewhat redundant. But Ning's eyes lit up immediately when he read about it. Because Know Thyself resembled his panel. He'd been shocked the first time a panel popped into existence inside his mind.

At first, he assumed it was a cheat, a transmigrator's privilege, but after repeated experiments, he discovered its limitations. It simply displayed information. He couldn't add points, couldn't manipulate stats, and it definitely didn't function like the progression screens of RPGs, which allowed for infinite growth as long as one put in effort. It was… lackluster. A glorified mirror for his own condition. But if it wasn't related to his transmigration, then what was it?

After learning about supernatural powers, Ning finally had an idea. Could his so-called panel be a supernatural power? It seemed extremely likely. His panel was almost identical to Know Thyself, with only a few minor differences. The first difference was obvious: other cultivators' Know Thyself probably didn't manifest as a game-like status screen. But Ning's did because he subconsciously shaped it that way.

As a transmigrator, when he jokingly called out "system" in his mind and imagined a panel, his supernatural power must have adopted that form. The second difference was its focus. His panel leaned heavily toward proficiency tracking, because that was what Ning imagined an RPG-style system to do. The jade slip even mentioned that supernatural powers often manifested differently depending on the individual, influenced by personality, perception, and innate tendencies.

But there was another overlooked detail that made Ning even more certain. Know Thyself had a secondary effect: maintaining the spirit. And hadn't his panel helped him resist an inner demon attack? A coincidence? Hardly. The more Ning examined it, the more another realization slowly surfaced. If Know Thyself helped one understand their true nature… then his panel had been doing exactly that from the beginning. The Ship of Theseus thought experiment came to mind.

From Ning's perspective, "Ning" and "Ji Ning" were two connected yet distinct identities. He possessed Ji Ning's body, his own personality, and the memories of both. Over time, such a combination should have blended into something new, something closer to Ji Ning. But the panel was a constant reminder of the truth. It preserved Ning's transmigrator identity, preventing unconscious assimilation. Without it, the dual memories might have eventually diluted or overridden his true self.

Of course, this was all theory, but it was a theory Ning found highly convincing. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

"Finally, one mystery solved." Ning exhaled, a small smile forming. As expected, the more he advanced, the more the once-unsolvable questions slowly unraveled. Now only the greatest question remained: his true nature. He would be lying if he said the possibility of being an inner demon hadn't shaken him. But even that suspicion was unstable at best. If he really were an inner demon, he must have been a terrible one, since he even got caught in friendly fire from another "fellow" inner demon.

And then there was Ji Ning's death. Originally, he assumed Ji Ning had died from a freak qi deviation. But with a supernatural power in the mix, things became clearer. Awakening Know Thyself could cause one's qi to flare beyond what the body could handle to retrieve information. For someone with weak qi like Ji Ning, losing control and suffering a deviation actually made far more sense. Much more logical than suffering a once-in-a-thousand mishap during the qi-drawing stage.

"At least I don't have to worry about hidden enemies." Ning sighed. Ji Ning's sudden misfortune had made him suspect poison, sabotage, or some hidden foe. He had been prepared for something serious, even showcasing talent to attract people's attention to make the would-be enemies cautious. But now? It seemed needless worry. As for his true nature, with Know Thyself, the truth would eventually reveal itself anyway. His panel simply hadn't reached that level yet.

For now, it focused on martial skills rather than innate secrets. In hindsight, Ning realized he had misunderstood his own power from the beginning. Because he firmly believed the panel came from transmigration, he ignored the actual essence of the ability. He focused on using it like a game interface rather than a means of understanding himself. A classic case of being blinded by preconceptions. It was the drunken aphids incident all over again.

Old Zhou later told him those insects could produce high-grade spiritual wine with a special secret method. But due to Ning's limited knowledge, he had sold them at a low price. Remembering it still made his heart ache, like losing a billion. Still, mistakes were human. What mattered was learning from them.

"Fortunately, supernatural powers can grow alongside the cultivator," Ning murmured.

"Especially something like Know Thyself, ever-changing responding to the cultivator." As his cultivation advanced, so too would his supernatural ability, just as it had evolved after his qi manipulation became more refined. There was still untapped potential waiting to be explored. But all of that would take time. For now, he finally had a lead, one that might reveal whether he was an inner demon or something else entirely. Ning let out a long breath.

It was not easy to live a muddled life filled with countless whys and questions. At least, he had a clue now.

"It's no wonder that in novels and anime, the protagonist's true identity or the thing that made them special is always revealed at the end," he muttered.

"Otherwise they'd spend the whole story running around like a headless chicken, asking 'why this' and 'what that'… just like me." Ning couldn't help but think so.... [Shadow Steps] It was a movement-focused martial art. At the minor accomplishment stage, it was essentially a framework of footwork, designed not only for speed but, more importantly, for silence. Shadow Steps was built on control.

Control of weight, of breath, of movement, control of every tiny shift inside the body that most cultivators never even noticed. Ning took a single step forward. Splash. Ripples spread across the water. Too heavy. He frowned and reset his posture. The manual spoke about "placing one's weight upon the breath," which sounded poetic… until Ning realized it was actually referring to the center of gravity. So he adjusted, shifting his weight slightly forward, around the lower abdomen, not the chest or heels.

Another step. This time, the water only curved gently, the ripples soft. Ning nodded and jotted down his observations in his notebook. Even though his panel made practicing martial arts far more efficient, he still relied on his own notes for reference and refinement. Training in the shallow stream behind the fields had been the right decision. Lean too far? The current pulled him off-balance. Lift his foot too fast? The splash gave him away. Stomp? Well, be ready to train in uncomfortable, sticky clothes.

This training was not as harsh as some of those trainings of protagonists who get thrown into the jungle with nothing but a piece of cloth, but it got the job done. It was quite intuitive. He shifted again, rolling his foot into the water with the three-phase contact he had analyzed earlier: Outer edge touches first Pressure rolls inward Sole settles fully The movement looked unusual, almost like a cat padding through wet grass, but the effect was undeniable. Barely a sound. Step after step, his proficiency soared.

His current goal was to reach Great Accomplishment as soon as possible; after all, only then could he unlock the technique's strongest move, appropriately named Shadow Glide. Fortunately, with qi and the panel, his bodily control was excellent, to say the least. At least he wouldn't face the classic Earth problem of watching a short gymnastics tutorial, thinking "I can do that," and then immediately collapsing because the body refused to cooperate.

Basically, the "brain says yes, limbs say no" situation rarely happens in a cultivation world.

"No wonder people say martial arts are easier than spells," Ning realized.

"It's all muscle memory." A cultivator was far more attuned to their body than to the tedious process of memorizing, visualizing, and interpreting spells. Of course, even if martial arts were supposedly easier, talentless disciples without clever training methods would still take ages to progress. Even Ning struggled with the Bone Refining Fist, mostly because he couldn't access waterfalls or other natural conditions needed to "temper bones," aside from the milk he was now drinking religiously.

"If only there were 48 hours in a day, my numbers could go brr so much faster…" Ning sighed, then continued practicing what he considered a life-saving skill.... Thanks for reading~